Hi all. Can anyone shed any light on how Mondrakers size up? I'm considering a Crafty and usually ride XL (I'm 6' 2") but looking at their guide the XL fits more like XXL in some areas (but not all). I prefer a bigger fit but not huge! Ta.
I've got a couple of Mondrakers and IME go for your usual size (or their recommended size) and don't focus on the geo chart numbers
I've not long started on a Crafty R XL, so maybe can offer some perspectives. First of all, it's bloody brilliant. So playful, which is nuts.Â
But - sizing. Which dimensions are you concerned about?
I'm 6'5"(195cm), and it fits perfectly for me. I may be tempted to go for the L if I was shorter.
I wanted full 29er, high stack, long chain stays, and reach of 525 ish. Compares really well with my G1 XL, for which I also have the longest CS mutators giving a CS length about the same as the crafty. Headtube length is bigger on the crafty, which means reach will feel longer compared to bike with lower stack for same given reach - hope that makes sense.Â
Downsides, seat tube is relatively high with less insertion depth that ideal - just not enough, even for me (810mm from centre of crank axle to saddle rail is my ideal saddle height) to fit a 240mm dropper, so I've stuck with 210mm with a switch grade and I've still got 20-30mm to play with.
HTH
It's the limited seatpost insertion which you need to watch out for when picking a size. I was close to the middle of the recommended range for a M/L Crafty and with the stock seatpost slammed the saddle at full extension was a very very close to being too high for me. I don't think I've got particularly short legs, but if you're at the lower end of the recommended size range or have any ideas about sizing up then you need to try out for size.
Then once you own it you need to watch out for the 'ring of death' around the pivot bolt where the chainstay meets the main frame. Mine went after 12 weeks, with the treaded insert for the pivot debonding from the carbon. Keeping an eye on a few facebook ownership groups there has been a steady stream of posts of people having the same problem with '25 and '26 Crafty's. I'm sure it's only a small percentage of them, but it seems to be a thing.Â
It was a great bike to ride though!Â
Thanks both. My current bike is an XL Orange Stage 6 Evo which fits me perfectly. Comparing geometry the ETT and seat tube on mine is similar to the XL Crafty but reach nearer the large and stack less than either. The stack can be accounted for by the longer head tube and is fine but the reach has me concerned especially as Mondraker seem to favour short stems. I don't really want to have less ETT though as the seated position on my Stage is bob on and I plan to cover decent miles on the bike.
